Curzon's cuts

Think of Lord Curzon, and the first thing that flashes in your mind is the 1905 Bengal Partition. Bengal burnt, and King George V had to personally come to India in 1911 to annul the Partition and transfer the capital to Delhi.

- SANJAY PODDER

However, the Bengal Partition was not the only partition done by Curzon's knife.

The first one was hugely successful—the resentment coming from British officers who felt that the feather in their caps was being taken away for the good of India. The second one was hugely unsuccessful—the resentment coming from Hindus and Muslims who felt that their unity was being interfered with for the good of Britain.

The British Empire's thorn in the flesh was not a bunch of patriots who opened fire at a white man and then smilingly went to the gallows. Managing the turbulent and bloodthirsty Pathan tribes on the North-West frontier was probably a bigger challenge. Not just the British but also the Mughals, Afghans and Sikhs found these mountaineers extremely warlike to subjugate.

There were two schools of thought to deal with the issue: "the forward policy" and "the close border policy". The forward policy sought to effect the extension of Pax Britannica up to the Durand Line through military presence and campaign. On the other hand, advocates of the close border policy regarded the subjugation of these tribes as desirable, but it was too costly to be carried out. They preferred the money be better spent on the development of districts in remote parts of India.